I always thought when I was younger that things were gonna stay the way they were. Aimlessly wandering around, or experiencing the hardships and angst of teenage years. What ledge you’re going to skate that day and hopefully not eat shit so you can enjoy yourself at the house party you’re going to later that night.

But as you get older your friend group gets smaller and best friends become old memories. Life gets in the way and at the end of the day, you'll only have yourself. That chapter ends and a new one begins.

The Smashing Pumpkins song, “1979”, is a homage to the excitement and restlessness you feel in your youth and how it quickly fades. There’s a line that says “And I don’t even care to shake these zipper blues”, which sums up youth with how carefree and frantic it is. I feel this body of work shows that.

Early on, there never was a purpose as to why I take photographs. It was purely for the fun of it. Not until recently did I realize why I kept picking up the camera. Throughout my photographs the reoccurring theme of adolescence came up. At that time, it was just my best friends and I doing the stupid things we did.

I originally began filming skateboarding as a teenager and transitioned into photography through one of my best friends, Sam. He’s the one who also led me to film photography. From there I developed a love for black and white and bulk rolling film, developing and scanning it. The process is the best. Where most of my photographs end up besides Instagram and my website go into various zines that I hand make, which is something everyone needs to do. Nothing is better than a tangible showcase of your work.

Over the years, the way I’ve shot had been pretty loose as to how I went about making photographs. I’ve tried to put myself in situations where the photograph I want to make comes to life. I’m not one for rules and trying to perfect my composition or any of that. A good photograph is gonna say something to the viewer no matter what.

People are naturally drawn to ask about my camera and start a conversation with me about it in the water. I hope that people’s intrigue in the Nikonos and the images I produce is what creates an interest in my photography, and not the fact that I am a woman swimming with a camera.

As I walked the streets of Venice, everything started to struck me. The diversity of its people, its architecture, its culture - blended in with the sounds and smells of the ocean made me feel like I was always supposed to eventually make my way there.